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TEiSA 1999-2000

Teisa_small

Targeted Exploration Initiative, South Australia (TEiSA)
Minerals Project Summary

Year 1
1998–99		 Year 2
1999 - 00		 Year 3
2000- 01		 Year 4
2001 - 02

Year 2 projects
1999 - 00

The emphasis moved from airborne surveys to ground-based geological mapping, gravity sampling and reconnaissance drilling to ‘see through the cover’ and identify favourable host rocks and structures for mineralisation. Five contracts (combined value in excess of $600 000) were awarded under the TEISA Minerals Program for airborne geophysical surveys, geological mapping, drilling, and data compilation programs.

AIRBORNE GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS

Musgrave Block
The Musgrave Block survey was the first of the TEISA projects in AP lands and was carried out after successful negotiations with the AP Council. Following on from this, a contract was negotiated for flying a remote sensing survey over the Musgrave Ranges. A total of 98 000 line kilometres were completed. Further funding enabled the completion of data acquisition on the adjoining MANN and ALBERGA map areas.

Gawler Craton
PIRSA and Geoscience Australia undertook a joint AEM orientation program over selected sites in the Gawler Craton. Trial AEM surveys were flown over the Moonta–Wallaroo, Challenger and Tunkillia areas using the TEMPEST system.

Curnamona Province
The Chowilla airborne survey in the northeastern Murray Basin commenced in November 1999, with the flight specifications of 60 m above ground and 200 m line spacing designed to assist the search for mineral sands as well as permit regional assessment of the Murray Basin basement. The survey included >53 000 line kilometres of magnetic, spectrometric and topographic data. Tertiary sediments of the Murray Basin underlie most of the area. In depth, these consist of marginal marine and coastal deposits of the Murray Group, including carbonaceous clay which is uranium-anomalous in places. Pliocene coastal sands containing economic heavy mineral sand deposits in the Murray Basin overlie the Murray Group sediments.

DRILLING PROGRAMS

Gawler Craton
Intrusive rocks with potential for nickel northeast of Ceduna, and altered Archaean volcanic rocks with potential for Cu–Zn north of Coffin Bay, were discovered during a TEISA bedrock drilling program. A total of 4630 m were drilled in 106 holes. Profile drilling of the Coffin Bay magnetic anomaly indicated the potential for massive sulphide deposits.

Ground magnetic and gravity surveys, and six RC percussion drillholes totalling 945 m were undertaken over extensive, coarse-grained Archaean banded iron formations in the Warramboo region of central Eyre Peninsula.

A stratigraphic hole west of Minlaton intersected 185 m of Permian and Cambrian cover rocks overlying a deformed silica-poor Hiltaba Suite granite.

The Coober Pedy Opal Drilling Program conducted during May–June 2000 tested nine areas of potential opal mineralisation outlined in recently acquired digital elevation and radiometric data. Four hundred and fifty one drillholes totalling 5176 m were completed, targeting areas adjacent to interpreted relict palaeochannels which may have controlled opal mineralisation. While no precious opal was intersected, many indicators were present, highlighting several areas as having good opal potential.